Gib Barbarians head to Seville for start of Iberian Rugby League campaign

Gibraltar's rugby community will this season enjoy another first as regional rugby comes to local venues through the Iberian Rugby League (LIR), with a team called Barbarians taking part.

The name will be familiar to many, but this is a team made up of local players who have, in recent years, been competing in Spanish regional competitions, mainly at grassroots level. Last season, they participated as a development team, but now they are joining the Iberian Rugby League as a senior side.

While the Barbarians and the Iberian Rugby League are not part of Gibraltar Rugby, nor will their participation replace Gibraltar's domestic rugby leagues and competitions, which will continue this season as normal, they will bring a new and hopefully exciting element of rugby to the Rock as they play their league home matches locally.

The Iberian Rugby League (LIR) is the competition formerly known as the Liga Amateur Rugby (LAR), which underwent a rebranding ahead of the 2025/26 season.

Run as a private league, outside the Spanish federation structure and funded and administered by its members, the competition includes nine regional teams, among them the Barbarians.

The league is primarily run by the Spain Union Multisport association for clubs wishing to participate in regular competition outside the federation circuit.

The Liga Amateur Rugby was initially conceived in 2023 to provide regular competition for clubs left out of the Spanish federation calendar, according to its own promotional material. It was aimed at "small teams, without the structure or resources for a federation league, that wanted to play every few weeks against opponents of their level".

Among the teams competing was Barbarians Development, a side made up of young Gibraltar players looking to further their development by playing against teams of varying standards at regional level.

Changes have taken place this season, with the league rebranded as the Iberian Rugby League. The competition will be played in two groups, one of five teams and the other of four, between October and March, with the finals scheduled for April.

Described as "a private, amateur competition, not affiliated to any federation", the organisers make clear that the league is "not part of, backed by or recognised by the Spanish Rugby Federation or any regional federation. It does not issue federation licences, it has no insurance of its own and its standings only count internally: they give no access to official competitions and there is no promotion or relegation".

Nine teams from across Andalucia, Extremadura, Castilla-La Mancha and Gibraltar will compete in the league.

They are Bahia 89 Algeciras, Bucaneros Rugby Gines, Cruxe Jerez, Cordoba Rugby Union, Dragones de Zafra, Fenicos Cadiz, Mesetarians Rugby, Moguer Rugby Union and Gib Barbarians.

Since its creation in 2023, the league has grown from seven clubs to ten, although this season's competition sees the number return to nine.

Keeping its structure relatively simple and making participation easier for clubs, the association draws up and publishes fixtures, determines the pairings and rounds, maintains and publishes the standings and results reported by the clubs, oversees competition rules and the resolutions of the General Assembly, in which all stakeholders have a say, and provides a communication channel between clubs.

Responsibility for insuring players, coaches and support staff rests with the individual clubs, as does responsibility for player fitness, the pitches and facilities used for home matches, team travel and the conduct of their members before, during and after matches.

The structure is intended to provide a manageable alternative for clubs wishing to compete more regularly but unable to meet the costs associated with participating in Spanish federation leagues.

Gib Barbarians begin their fixture schedule this weekend against Bucaneros Rugby Gines, opening their campaign away from home in Seville.

Their first home match is scheduled for next weekend, when they face Fenicos Cadiz in a fixture they will be hoping local supporters turn out to watch. It will mark their debut in the league as a senior side and their first home match of the season.

Although the Barbarians' participation in the Iberian Rugby League is separate from the Gibraltar Rugby structure, their presence in the competition is seen positively, providing local players with additional playing experience.

It also follows a path taken by other sports in Gibraltar, including basketball, hockey, football and athletics, where local athletes have competed as part of regional teams or sides specifically established to provide Gibraltar players with opportunities to compete beyond the Rock.

Gibraltar Rugby has also been promoting the matches through its own social media channels.

Spain Union Multisport describes itself as "a non-profit association listed in Spain's National Register of Associations. It was set up so that small clubs, the ones without the structure or resources for a federation league, can play rugby with fixtures, opponents and continuity."

It states it "has 378 members and 10 clubs, and is governed by a board of directors and the members' general assembly."